Just wanted to say that Mark, Michael and Stuart from FMI and Trevor from PWC did an excellent job engaging the classroom in discussion each day, and had a great program format for teaching. The information they brought forward was extremely useful now as I'm sure it will be throughout my career. This was only my 2nd IMPACT course that I have attended, I would like to commend IMPACT on organizing these events for Ironworkers and contractors alike, IMPACT always put on an amazing program, and does a very good job at making these events comfortable and welcoming to attend. I plan to attend more IMPACT events as the information is always very useful and IMPACT does a great job of finding the right instructors for the occasion. I would like to thank everyone at IMPACT for the work they do to set these events up and providing the opportunity to attend these courses.

Regards,

Jacob Wicks
Chief Estimator
JCT Metals Inc.

News

Apprenticeships Get A Bad Rap, But They Offer Paths To Lucrative Careers

05/13/2019

By Leticia Wiggins

Driving a semi-truck is a job that gives you plenty of time to think – too much, actually, for Jordan Washington. He says the job paid well, and it was fun in the beginning until the monotony sunk in.

“But then after a while, I’m just like, 'O.K., I’m bored. This is not for me,’” Washington says.

By the time Washington was driving trucks, he had three kids and needed something better-paying. The only way to a lucrative job, he thought, was through college.

“My parents were always pushing, ‘Gotta go to school, gotta get the degree,’ but it never resonated with me,” he says. “People have all this debt, they're unemployed. I just kept looking for something until I found something that was for me.”

Washington didn’t want to go to a university, but he did want work that supported his growing family.

Before college became so widespread, these things called “apprenticeships” were the ticket to a good career. A teacher, or master craftsman, employed a younger person, or apprentice, as cheap labor. In turn, the apprentice was given food and lodging while learning the trade.